MiEL · Doctoral network for microprocess engineering for electrosynthesis - new synthesis concepts for pharmaceutical/ fine chemical industry

In MiEL 10 (+2) doctoral candidates will develop synthesis technology for the chemical industries of the 21st century by combining the advantages of electrochemistry, micro process engineering and flow-chemistry. In theory, electrochemical technologies offer the highest energy efficiency in production as well as microfluidics offer the highest safety and best process control in chemical processes. A combination of these two technologies seems to be the logical step towards a more reliable, flexible, safe and sustainable chemical industry. Especially for the synthesis of fine chemicals or pharmaceuticals with relatively low output but specific chemistry like fluorination, this route offers some advantages in production. Three synthesis routes - 1) two-phase electrosynthesis, 2) aqueous and 3) non-aqueous electrolytes - will be investigated. These three reaction paths can be regarded as relevant model processes for pharmaceutical/fine chemical industry. The ambitious research objective is to upscale these technologies using integrated cell concepts such as printed circuit board technology (PCB technology) with integrated process control, with in-situ optimized yield control. The cells can be assembled in synthesis arrays for the safe, flexible and sustainable synthesis of chemical products, which can also be used for catalytic screening. This approach will allow to find new synthetic routes for the sustainable chemical industry of the future.MiEls network is embedded into a highly specialized modelling community, which develops models on different length scales helping to simulate electrode structures with multi-phase flow of fluids, multi-electron step reactions, and electrochemical flow cells. A tecno-economical investigation provides guidance of all disciplines and ensures that the outcome of the project is to define the economic and ecologic “sweet spot” in applied electrosynthesis.